Why a Medina Restaurant Hosted Ramaswamy Despite the Attack Ad—and Is Paying a Price
A campaign stop draws protest
The Ohio Republican Party announced in late October that candidates touring the state on a large red bus would visit P.J. Marley’s on the Saturday before Election Day. The restaurant is in Medina, Ohio, and is owned by Patty and Jon Stahl.
After the announcement, people began calling and posting online to criticize the restaurant. One caller spoke with a 16-year-old employee, who later told his manager the caller had said something about pedophiles. A woman from a nearby county wrote on Facebook that she would never eat there and called its owners vile supporters of pedophiles.
Attack ad fuels the dispute
Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor, had recently released an advertisement featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. Acton was the Democratic candidate. The ad did not mention that Acton’s stepfather was charged with raping her when she was 12, or that her mother supported him. The attack ad became part of the dispute surrounding the restaurant’s decision to host the Republican candidates.
Owners say event was not an endorsement
The reaction left Medina reeling and placed the popular restaurant at the center of a political conflict. The account describes customers turning against the business after it agreed to host the candidates.
Key points
- P.J. Marley’s hosted Republican candidates in Medina shortly before Election Day.
- Vivek Ramaswamy had recently released an attack ad about Amy Acton.
- Some longtime customers criticized the restaurant and said they would not return.
- Owners Patty and Jon Stahl said the event did not signal political support.